Sewing-machine



nr'rn iTnNr Fries.

SEWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION: forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,857, dated January 31, 1893.

l Application filed March '7, 1892. Serial No.- 424,016. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. MERRIOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, inthe county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and vice which shall not only serve to brace the needle and keep it in its proper position but shall also serve as a cast-off is the object of my invention, a particular description of which is hereinafter given and the novel features thereof pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and made a part hereof.

I have shown my device-in the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the needle bar and cast-off bar of a well-known form of sewing machine showing the needle and my improved needle brace and cast-off. Fig. 3 is atop view. Fig.

- clamped thereto by means of a screw 6.

4 is a vertical section on line 4 4 Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 are, respectively, a side elevation and plan view of a modification hereinafter referred to.

The needle bar is shown at A'and is designed to reciprocate vertically in the wellknown manner.

I) is the needle which is of common form.

C is the cast-ofi bar to the upper end of which is secured a split sleeve D which clamping screw f see Fig. 4 is set through the upper end of the split sleeve and by this means the two parts of the sleeve may be drawn together and made to clamp firmly the two pieces 9 h which are dove-tailed therein as shown Fig. 4 and which form the adj ustable needle brace and' castoff. By thus mounting and securing the pieces 9 h they may be adjusted laterally or the piece It may be adjusted relatively to the piece 9 to accommodate a needle of greater or less diameter. The piece It is simply a straight piece of metal of a shape in cross section which adapts it to dle of larger or smaller diameter. thus to accommodate needles of varying ,di-

be clamped in the sleeve or holder D and it is provided at that end which comes in contact with the needle with, preferably, a V-shaped notch or vertical slot. Both sides of the V- shaped notch'bear against the needle and they will bear in the same way against anee- In order ameters the slot in the piece h is made V- shaped by preference; as will be clear, however. it may be concaved or curved instead of V-shaped in which case if the size of the nee-' dle be changed another piece It having a curved slot of the size to fit the curve of the needle must be supplied. The piece 9 extends outwardly past the needle and is turned at right angles, or substantially so, as shown at 70, (seeFig. 3) to form the other member of the needle brace or guide as also to form the cast oftproper. The inner face of this castoff is comes in contact with the needle and is straighter flat or convex, so that it will bear along one vertical line only against the cylin drical needle whether said needle be larger or smaller in diameter-thatis, the fiatface of the cast off will in horizontal section be tangential tothe circumference of the needle. It is essential that the face of the cast-off next the needle should be vertically parallel therewith and that when adjusted the cast-off should bear along its whole face against the blade of the needle. In order that the face of the cast-off remain parallel with the blade of the needle the cast-off must be mounted so as to be adjustable toward and from the needle along a line at right angles thereto. By

the construction shown of the parts which come in contact with the needle it will be clear that a needle of greater or less diameter may be employed and the parts readily adjusted thereto, the face of the cast-off adjacent theneedle always being parallel with the blade of the needle. The cast-01f proper or part 70 of the piece 9 extends upwardly above the other portions of the piece 9 as shown in Figs. l and 2 and is rounded off or thinned down to a fine edge and rounded point as shown Figs. 1 and 2. When the needle is at the end of its downward movement the castoif k covers the notch or eye Z of the needle as shown Figs. 1 and 2 and operates to cast off the thread. By loosening the clamping screw e of the split sleeve D the sleeve and the cast-off may be adjusted vertically as desired and the sleeve may also be rotated to effect the proper alignment of the cast-off, needle and needle brace.

In the modification shown Figs. 5 and 6 the top of the split sleeve or holder is projected laterally around and in front of the needle in order to afford a suitable support for the castoif in front of the needle. This is a convert ient form of construction in machines employing more than one needle as I do not consider it practicable to secure a needle brace and cast-off for each one of two or three needles side by side in the same holder.

In the modified form shown Figs. 5 and 6 the needle brace is mounted on one side of the needle and the cast-off on the opposite side and if three needles are employed the three cast-offs will be clamped together side by side at one part of the holder and the three needle braces will be clamped together side by side in the other part of the holder. The same adjustment however, of the braces and cast-offs along a line at right angles to the blade of the needle is maintained and the adjustment of the parts is therefore easily and accurately made by operators who are comparatively unskilled.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with the needle and its is adjustable relative to the said needle; whereby the face of the cast-off adjacent the needle is parallel with the needle in all positions of adjustment, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the needle audits actuating .mechanism, of the holder D, the needle brace h, and the cast-off is, said needle brace and the shank of said cast-off being both arranged at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the needle, or approximately so, for the purposes and substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with the needle and its actuating mechanism, of a combined needle brace and cast-olf, the needle brace being on one side of the needle and the cast-off on the opposite side thereof and that portion of the needle brace which comes in contact with the needle being V-shaped; whereby needles of diiferent diameters may be employed without changing the needle brace, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination with the needle and its actuating mechanism of a cast-off mounted at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the needle and having the face thereof which is next the needle tangential to the circumference of said needle and vertically parallel to the needle, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination with the needle and its actuating mechanism, of the needle brace h, holder D, and cast-off bar 0 said holder D having both a vertical and rotary adjustment 011 said bar, 0, substantially as shown and de scribed. I

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK W. MERRICK.

Witnesses:

WM. A. MACLEOD, ROBERT WALLACE. 

